Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Holocaust - Denying It Will Not Erase the Facts

Walmart * Euthanasia Back in the News

Insanity fair. Holocaust deniers gathered in Teheran to take part in a conference. Saw a picture of Ahmadinejad embracing a bearded Jew! The Holocaust happened. There is overwhelming evidence to support that a systematic slaughter of Jews took place during Hitler's Third Reich. Those who question it have blinders on.

The animosity between Muslims and Jews in the Middle East is understandable. Israel's role in dealing with Palestinians cannot be condoned, neither can its operation against the Hezbollah in Lebanon that resulted in deaths of a thousand or more civilians. After years of using its vastly superior military force Israel has failed to have any noticeable impact on the will of the Palestinians. True, they live amidst rubbles and their economy is in shambles. Yet the suicide bombers keep coming. All that has nothing to do with the Holocaust. It was a dark chapter in history when many nations aware of what was going on in Germany looked the other way. The Vatican was among those who remained silent. Some of the very people who argue that the Holocaust did not take place also believe in Armageddon and extra-terrestrials landing in flying saucers.

Did Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's hints about nuclear weapons have anything to do with Teheran's tirade against Israel? Now he is trying to wiggle out of what he said but the fact that Israel has nuclear capability is not a secret. Think of Iran and Israel lobbing nukes at each other and there you have the scenario for end of the world as we know it.

While on the subject of Armageddon, Walmart is in the news because of a series of video games based on the Left Behind series. Trust Walmart not to miss an opportunity for making money while the fervor lasts.

Just in time for Christmas, the religious right has released a violent video game in which born-again Christians aim to convert or kill those who don't adhere to their extreme ideology. Disturbingly, the game's apparent attempts at religious indoctrination are aimed at children and focus on violent, divisive, and hateful scenarios. While the religious right apparently has no problem pushing the product this holiday season, America's #1 video game seller should know better.

The Euthanasia Debate - Two Items from BBC

An Italian court has adjourned to decide whether to allow a terminally ill man to die, in a landmark case.

The man, Piergiorgio Welby, has muscular dystrophy and is paralysed. He wants doctors to be allowed to turn off his artificial respirator.

The high-profile case has sparked fierce debate in mostly-Roman Catholic Italy, where euthanasia is illegal and the Church forbids it.

The judge is expected to deliver her verdict within a week.

Church of England

A Christian medical body says holding back treatment to allow ill newborn babies to die - when treatment would be "a burden" - is not euthanasia.

The Christian Medical Fellowship was responding to a report in the Observer.

That said the Church of England believed withholding treatment from some seriously disabled newborns may be right "in some circumstances".

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics has been seeking submissions into critical care in foetal and neonatal medicine.

It told the BBC it has received over 100 submissions from interested organisations into the controversial issue.

Its report will be published on Thursday looking at the ethical, social and legal issues which may arise when making decisions surrounding treating extremely premature babies.